FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT:

April 6, 2017 Kim Torguson - ktorguson@edc.org

(202) 572-3737

Suicide Prevention Tools Launched to Guide Communities Nationwide

National groups release comprehensive guidance aimed at reducing annual suicide rate in the U.S.

Washington, D.C.—New tools to improve community-based suicide prevention efforts were released today
by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), the nation’s public-private
partnership championing suicide prevention as a national priority, and its partners from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), and the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC).

Suicide remains one of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., causing tremendous pain and loss to
communities across the country—especially rural communities recent CDC data show.

The Action Alliance aims to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention (NSSP)—a roadmap that
when implemented, will lead to the vision of a nation free from the tragic experience of suicide. According to
the NSSP, community-based programs, policies, and services can play an important role in suicide prevention.
To ensure that communities know where to start and what they can do to implement comprehensive suicide
prevention efforts, the Action Alliance and several of its national and community partners jointly released
two resources that synthesize current knowledge about community-based suicide prevention and emphasize
the need for comprehensive efforts that combine multiple strategies that work together to prevent suicide.
The strategies and elements outlined in the two resources support the goals and objectives of the NSSP.

The first resource, released by the Action Alliance, identifies seven key elements that should guide program
planning and implementation. The second resource, released by CDC, outlines specific, evidence-based
suicide prevention strategies for communities to consider as a part of their comprehensive approach.
Together, these two resources address how communities can carry out suicide prevention efforts and what
they can do.

“These resources are a result of tremendous collaboration among various partners from the public and
private sectors coming together to help prevent suicide at the community level,” said Dr. Jerry Reed, director
of SPRC and executive committee member of the Action Alliance. “The collective efforts by dedicated people
and groups within the field of suicide prevention create a robust knowledge base that can help move our
work forward while preventing duplication.”
These new resources include:
 Transforming Communities: Key Elements for Comprehensive Community-Based Suicide
Prevention
Developed by the Action Alliance, this resource presents seven key elements for comprehensive
community-based suicide prevention, identified via a review of relevant programs, guidance, and
models. The elements are key considerations that should guide community-based suicide prevention
efforts—aimed at helping communities create policies, programs, and services that reduce suicide
and improve individual, family, and community health. They are meant as broad guidance for the
field, and can help inform the development of suicide prevention programs and future resources.

 Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices

Developed by CDC, this resource helps states and communities take advantage of the best available
evidence for suicide prevention interventions. The package highlights seven strategies for suicide
prevention and the evidence of their impact on suicidal behaviors and related risk and protective
factors.

“We know that suicide is preventable. These resources will help communities to start now, act on the best
available evidence, and work together.” said James Mercy, Ph.D., director, CDC’s Division of Violence
Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. “The strategies laid out in the technical
package, as well as the key elements outlined in the paper, are intended to work in combination and
reinforce each other.”

Community leaders, suicide prevention program planners, and others can use these new resources to guide
the planning, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive community-based suicide prevention
efforts. The resources can also inform the development of future resources, such as step-by-step
implementation guides, tools, and websites tailored to the needs of specific communities and settings (e.g.,
schools, workplaces, justice system).

“We are pleased that AFSP and the Action Alliance have set a common goal to reduce the annual suicide rate
20 percent by 2025,” said Bob Gebbia, AFSP’s chief executive officer. “Working together to develop and
implement comprehensive community-based suicide prevention strategies will help us to achieve this goal—
saving and improving the most lives possible.”

###

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT RESOURCES:

On April 12, the Action Alliance will host a 90-minute webinar to provide a detailed overview about the two
resources. To register for the webinar, go to: http://bit.ly/Transforming_Communities.

FOR MEDIA PARTNERS:

Research shows that the media may influence suicide rates by the way they report on suicide. Evidence
suggests that when the media tell stories of people positively coping in suicidal moments, more suicides can
be prevented. We urge all members of the media working on these stories to refer to the Recommendations
for Reporting on Suicide for best practices for safely and accurately reporting on suicide. For stories of
persons with lived experience of suicidality and finding hope, refer to www.lifelineforattemptsurvivors.org.
NATIONAL ACTION ALLIANCE FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION:
The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is the public-private partnership working to advance the
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and make suicide prevention a national priority. The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides funding to EDC to operate and manage the
Secretariat for the Action Alliance which was launched in 2010. Learn more at
actionallianceforsuicideprevention.org and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following the
Action Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.